Plants & Crops Codexery

Turnip

A root vegetable with white flesh, domesticated in Central Asia, grown worldwide for food and livestock feed.

Last updated

Turnip

Eric Polk · CC BY-SA 4.0

The white, fleshy taproot of Brassica rapa subsp. rapa is a root vegetable grown across temperate climates globally.[1] Human consumption is the purpose for smaller, tender varieties, whereas larger ones serve as livestock feed.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. CladeTracheophytes
  2. CladeAngiosperms
  3. CladeEudicots
  4. CladeRosids
  5. OrderBrassicales
  6. FamilyBrassicaceae
  7. GenusBrassica
  8. SpeciesBrassica rapa

Named by L.

Close relatives

Other species of Brassica with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Turnip (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where the turnip has been recorded

Where the turnip has been recorded4 mapped locations from 111,629 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Mediterranean Sea, Wildschönau, KiikalaMediterranean SeaWildschönauKiikala

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (111,629 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 89 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Scientific name
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
Type
Root vegetable
Domestication origin
Central Asia, several thousand years ago

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

Edible turnips were domesticated in Central Asia several thousand years ago.[2] Western Asia and Europe are home to wild turnips and their relatives.[3] From germination to reproduction, the turnip's life cycle spans two years, classifying it as a biennial.[4] Nutrients are stored in the root during the first year; flowering, seed production, and death occur in the second.[4]

Yellow, tall flowers characterize the turnip, and its seeds develop inside pods resembling peas.[4] Optimal growth for this root crop occurs in cool conditions; woody, unpleasant-tasting roots result from hot temperatures.[5] In temperate climates with a 5–6 month season, a late-summer planting can yield a fall harvest.[5] From sowing to harvest, the typical duration is 55–60 days.[6]

What the specialist sources record

That same source suggests sowing in late May or June, followed by summer weeding and thinning using a hoe.[7] Keutschach am See's coat of arms still features the turnip as its heart shield.[8][9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smillie, "Are 'neeps' swedes or turnips?", The Guardian, 25 January 2010 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McAlvay, "Brassica rapa domestication: untangling wild and feral forms and convergence of crop morphotypes", Molecular Biology and Evolution, 30 April 2021, p. 3358–3372; McAlvay, "Brassica rapa domestication: untangling wild and feral forms and convergence of crop morphotypes", Molecular Biology and Evolution, 30 April 2021, p. 3358–3372; Sanderson, "The Cultural History of Plants", Routledge, 2005, p. 72; C, "Brassica rapa Domestication: Untangling Wild and Feral Forms and Convergence of Crop Morphotypes", Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2021 en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sanderson, "The Cultural History of Plants", Routledge, 2005, p. 72; Sanderson, "The Cultural History of Plants", Routledge, 2005, p. 72; C, "Brassica rapa Domestication: Untangling Wild and Feral Forms and Convergence of Crop Morphotypes", Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2021-07-29, p. 3358–3372; Zohary, "Domestication of plants in the Old World: the origin and spread of domesticated plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin", Oxford University Press, 2012, p. 139 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Greene, "Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way", Rodale, 2012, p. 95–98 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jamil, "Effects of thin-film and wafer-based photovoltaic module transparency and spectral properties on microclimate and turnip yield in agrivoltaic systems", Journal of Cleaner Production, 2026-04-08 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shadd, "Effects of Spectral Ranges on Growth and Yield in Vertical Hydroponic–Aeroponic Hybrid Grow Systems for Radishes and Turnips", Foods, 2025-05-24, p. 1872 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Household Cyclopedia of 1881", Matthew Spong, 1881 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Schmöger, "Keutschach am See, Carinthia (Austria)", CRW Flags - Flags of the World (website) - Vexillology, 2010-01-27. facts only, no text reused. crwflags.com
  9. Wikipedia, "Turnip" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schmöger, "Keutschach am See, Carinthia (Austria)", CRW Flags - Flags of the World (website) - Vexillology, 2010-01-27 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Turnip (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Brassicaceae)

Radish Raphanus sativus

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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